The media have finally caught up with the news that our masters in Federal Europe have, at least for the time being, given up on forced metrication in England.

I say “caught up” because this is old news – this decision was made a month ago but it’s taken the eurofederalists this long to realise that they can use it as “evidence” that Federal Europe isn’t that bad after all.

However, despite the headlines boldy declaring that Federal Europe has given up on metricating England, they are still very much committed to ensuring that foreign metric measurements are here to stay.  Anything you sell still has to be weighed or measured in metric with our own imperial weights and measures as an additional, less prominent, piece of information.  You will still be prosecuted by Trading Standards for not using foreign metric weights and measures even though imperial is used by more people than metric.

Is this a victory?  Not really.  It’s just maintaining the status quo – half metrication which infuriates a large proportion of the public.  Metric will still overtake imperial eventually without Federal Europe forcing it to happen.  Kids haven’t been taught how to use imperial for a long time so future generations will only be able to use foreign metric weights and measures.  In a few years the number of people who have deliberately been taught only metric weights and measures to kill off imperial will outnumber those of us who still use imperial.  Metrication will still go ahead, it will only be delayed by a few years and it will no longer be attributed to Federal Europe.